"nd ten instruction centers. The 4th Frontier Guards Reginent- Sores - ‘DATE OF OBSERVATION: ad of 1951. ‘EVAL, COMMENT: ‘This is a detailed though obsclescent report on conditions in the border sone toward Yugoslavie and particularly in the JIMBOLIA seotor. ‘The organization of the border guards. _-4s afopted to the Soviet patternt the brigade is the largest “unit; it includes from two to three regiments, which are ‘sub- girs aes battalions and platoons; there are no companies. "The command of the frontier guards hes at present between sight A refugee. _ “Am stationed at TIMISOARA, the 5th at ARAD. See for confirma tion Iten Nos. 6050 and 6051/51 and 3868/52. S Most remarkeble is the fact that the ci of i “the border guards are aa) trained to assault —— id Sc | warning "chiaburi” (kulaks.) However, = great nuaber of border feast ae oa ing for an opportunity to escape to Yugoslavia themselves, as - is proved by the numerous recent defections. From previous re- ports know that the frontier is not everywhere so heavily guarded or blocked by so many obstacles ae in the JIMBOLIA sec~ tor. 2 -s 9 ee ‘The village of JIMBOLIA is situated near the rugo- slay frontier and is an object of particular oare on the part of the Rumanian authorities since at this point there have been most escapes from Rumania to Yugoslavia. This is one of the Feacons why the security mensures are so extended and extrenely strict in thie region. In fact, the geographical conditions in this sector of the border make it easy to approach the frontier @epecially at that point where the JIMBOLIA-TIMISOARA railway ine: comes very close to the frontier line. ‘The frontier surrounds the village of JIMBOLIA from three sides and at the point o: Klarija there is a kind of long peak where the line enters(cont'a) 1 tory. Near this latter point the JIMBOLIA-TINISOARs railway ine passes by at a distance of approximately 300 meters from the border. There is asmall stop (Halta). at this point where trains only stop for two minutes to pick up the person- nel of the State farm (Ferma de Stat) situated near-by. Be- fore World War I, this stop belonged to the commune of KLARIJA which is now on Yugoslavian territory. The frontier line trac- ed en Rumania end Yugoslavia after World War II separated the railway stop from the commune es the former is in Rumania. Today the commune of KLARIJA has another railway station for the line connecting it with the town of ZRENIAMIN. Another vulnerable point of the border line with Yugoslavie always around JIMBOLIA, is near the communal cemetery in the northern part of the village about 400 meters from the border in the “Futok” district. In JIMBOLIA there ies garrison of frontier qaris (greniceri) belonging to a regiment billeted on the main road and near the Orthodox church. These barracks only have one floor and a large court-yard where there are the regiment stables. One of the other two barracks is situated near the dngane asylum while the other one ie in an old mill which is- jee tae nortan exis “ oe : Our source does not know the names of any of the officers of the graniceri regiment. These officere avoided ell contacts with the local population. But they were all Youngsters coming from the special schools of the regine. The ‘weapons of the graniceri consisted of Soriet type "P.P.S." ‘automatic pistols, tommy guns and automatic rifles. z The soldiers were trained almost daily on a large ". field behind the railway station. Some of them were on horse- ees At the border there are some military poste (tenet) somposed of emall units of the graniceri. One of them is near the ratlway station, precisely half-way between the torder and the station. Apart from the military post at this point there are also two large recently erected buildings used ag barracks, and a wooden observation tower of a height of nine meters. ‘The command of the regiment is in the barracks on the mein road where they also breed wolf-hounds. These dogs are being trained by a German whose name is not know. Our source saw as many as 100 dogs there. The dogs are very strong and well fed; They get 800 grams of bread per day apart from their polenta meal and are being trained to assault - (Over)b strangers at the word "Chisbur™ (iulsk.) They have the usual names Jim, Rex, eto. : ; : The frontier is divided into two zones: the firat sone comprising the territory from the frontier line itself to a depth of ten kilometers on Rumenien territory. The sso- ond sone runs from the 10-km off the frontier line until 25 ke into Bumanian territory. 5 Z The following were the security measures adopted - in the firethones farmers who had to go to work on their own fields near the border had to pecs by the nearest militery post and deliver their identity cards, together with a certificate iseued by the comunal council proving that the farmer concern- ed was the owner of the fields near the frontier. In the sven- e ing, after work, the farmers had to go back to the same military to withdraw their documents. If these documents were not — withdrawn in the grening this was already a sign that somebody had crossed the Yugoslav frontier. The cultivated fielés are 500 to 400 meters from the frontier, and between this one and ‘the border line itself there ts an uncultivated strip of lend with plenty of grass. Groups of farmers go to cut thie ress aa "voluntary workers" especially on Sundays. : All people living in the first sone are issued an |. identity card with a special square etazp applied insides the Hs ard a reading “Zoue I“ and other indications. ~~ 2 = There are observation towers along the frontier dine at a distance of 300 to 400 meters from one another and sbout 300 away from the line itself. These towers can easily be seen from the village. During the day time they ere watched by the guards. Furthermore patrols formed of two or more Guards move continually from one military poet to the other, accompanied by wolf-hounds during the day-time. Some of the guards sre on horseback. Along the frontier line itself there are shite- mashed stones and then there ie a strip of lend, sone 20 meters wide, after which come the approximately 1,60 meters high barb- ed wire entanglements in a horisontal and diagonal position, nailed to wooden pol & distance of four to five met from one another. Behind the barbed wire entanglement there is a strip of mined land, about 20 meters wide, where not even the frontier guards go. Theee mines are put underneath the ground end are connected with wire. Our source spoke with many farmers about this mined strip of land and he was told by all of them that these mines (this was in the fall of 1951) were not dungerous they were too old and many of them had exploded slready when hares or dogs touched the wire connecting the Single mines. After this mined area there ie a five to six meter wide strip of ploughed land: ‘The lend was ploughed and (Over) a. reJevelied ty the peacants. This strip of land is checked deily 4n search of possible traces of There was a curfew in the village from 2300 hours until 0400 hours in the morning ana only persons on duty.» Gllowed to go out during that period. Frequently the ville wae blocked during the day to check the documents of the in— Habitante. Aleo the restaurants, the cinema, etc. were checked: Sosctines these checke were alco effected during the night, in - the hones of the villages so as to control the documents of all persone in the village. All persona who could not prove their Jaentity ox who were not in possession of the specie! identity cert authorizing them to stay in Zone 1, were arrested imnedia’ Sy: Everybody entering Zone 1 coming from the interior of the cuuntry was requested to report to the militia immediately upon fis arrival. There he had to present hie documents and explain = @ fis presence in Zone 1, Travelling in Zone 1 was only permitted with & special autorization issued by the militia of the place Sr residence of the person concerned. In order to obtain this Guthorisation, the person concerned had to present ducleration St the concern he was working certifying the necessity of the trip for reasone pertaining to hie work, two photographs, per sone) documents. For family reasons, i-e- the death of s re~ Tative etc. it was difficult to obtain such an authorization cad by the time you were able to get it the motive of the trtp gaa ne longer existing or plausible. Hunters or fishers could’ _ gat authorizations to enter Zone IT, but also in this Cove Gythorizations were only granted to people who were trusted by ‘the regine. E s : $ ‘Trips from TIMISOARA toward the frontier took place under more or less the following conditions: a ratinsy ticket © Gould be obtained relatively easily in TIMISOARA both for Zones I and IT. But anyhow the railway esployee slvays for presentation of the special entry permit for the txo But when there were many people in front of the ticks some people managed to present the authorization of 6 tise or the employee himself would not ask for the docunent~ deter the train had already left TIMISOARA end before the sta- ‘ion of SACALAZ in the direction of JIMBOLIA, they started checking the documents of the passengers on the trains These checks were effected by railway policemen (Militient ¢.F.R.) Fosthermore at each single otation policemen checked the doou- ments of the passengers leaving the train. Upon arrival in JIMBOLIA the whole train was surrounded with policemen so thet hone of the passengers could leave the train except on one side, torard the station. At the exit of the station @ group of militiamen checked the documents of each passenger. Those Qno aid not live in JIMBOLIA had to present their special en= try permit to the zone end explain the motives of their trip: If the policemen suspected any of these persons or if they (over)ITEM No _06508/55 (cont! a) 4 ng gould hear. pistol or rifle shots in the dire times one could also hear